When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, its a good core workout. If youre sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More

Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More

With neighborhood institutions like the 21 Club closing to make way for yuppie cocktail bars, Brown Jug remains an oasis — and one that takes full advantage of the state's operating hours window, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

$4 Toast, and $4 Toast-Bashing, Moves North to Seattle

$4 toast is a tired local reference at this point, but to the rest of the country, it's still shorthand for Everything Wrong With San Francisco. The newest shot at S.F.'s toast culture is a food review in Seattle's The Stranger in which restaurant critic Bethany Jean Clement works out her feelings about fancy toast, first ordering a slice that costs $3 at a cafe and feeling embarrassed, then finding herself enjoying the $4-$6 slices at another restaurant and feeling vaguely embarrassed about that too. Scattered throughout are obligatory derisive references to S.F. rent, nouveau riche, etc. etc.

Clement's first interaction, at a place called Toast Ballard, elicited the kinds of feelings that many of us felt the first time we ordered toast that cost more than half of a loaf of bread:

I felt terrible asking him for toast. I felt like his response might be--ought to be--"Are you fucking kidding me? Go home and make your own goddamn toast." He didn't even blink, and since I was already being that kind of person, I ordered a glass of their bougiest wine, a Chateau de Campuget rosé ($8, peachy colored, really good).

Then she kind of turns around at Tallulah, the new Capitol Hill spot from hip bar/restaurant empire-builder Linda Dershang, where the nice toppings and atmosphere make her "lose perspective on the whole toast thing a little." She leaves more accepting, but still determined to order something more complicated, like a pecan sticky bun or coffee cake, instead of toast the next time.

So, what have we learned? Toast continues to be a divisive subject. Many people think that paying more than $1.25 at a diner for it is ridiculous, but the toast that Josey Baker makes at The Mill resembles diner toast in the same way that the burger at Daniel Patterson's new Alta CA resembles a Whopper -- they're just different animals, both flavor-wise and cost-of-ingredients-wise. (Among other things, Baker mills his own flour to make his bread -- it could be precious, but as I covered in a feature last November, it's actually pretty cool.)

And I maintain that $4 for a thick, nourishing slice of excellent bread, crispy-crackly outside, almost custardy inside, topped with lovely things like fresh butter or fruit puree or nut butter, is not insane. But then again, I still pay rent in San Francisco.

(Note: The Stranger is my much-beloved hometown newspaper and I've eaten/drunk wine/gossiped with Clement more than once, not that it really has anything to do with the price of eggs here, but it seemed worth mentioning.)

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Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"